HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The city of Hendersonville is seeing an uptick in lithium battery fires.

In fact, the fire department said a majority of their recent fires have likely been caused by a lithium battery overheating. 

“I want to say 3 out of the last 5 have been related to potential lithium-ion batteries. It’s new technology, so with new technology comes new problems,” said Hendersonville Fire Chief Scotty Bush.

Bush said there isn't one, specific lithium-powered device that is a bigger cause for concern, although many Hendersonville residents do own golf carts. 

He warned of after-market phone chargers and newer accessories, like e-bikes or scooters. 

“When you’re charging those things, keep them out of the house. If you’re going to do it in the garage, keep an eye on them. If they’re overheating, if the battery looks swollen, (stop charging them),” said Bush. 

Battery fires require a different approach for firefighters, according to Chief Bush, especially electric vehicle fires. What sticks out most: how quickly these lithium fires can spread.

“It’s just a matter of (a) minute, 2 minutes maybe, max,” Bush said. “And that’s really a problem when it’s in your garage or in your home, when there’s so many flammable things around that. (It) presents a problem for a 4-minute response time, 5-minute response time. That fire is going to have a head start on us before we get there.” 

Proper disposing of lithium batteries is crucial and there are spaces for people to recycle them, like Home Depot.

However, when in doubt, Bush told News 2 the best way to avoid a sudden fire from these batteries: cut the power. 

“If it starts to off-gas or hiss, unplug it, get away from it,” advised Bush. 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/hendersonville-firefighters-report-uptick-in-lithium-battery-fires/